Addison, Texas School Authorized to Perform CFI Check-Rides

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Thrust Flight, the Addison, Texas-based flight academy, Examining Authority germane to the school’s Part 141 Certified Flight Instructor curriculum.

Examining Authority enables designated academy personnel to perform check-rides for enrolled students pursuing Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certification. Such discretion is only afforded flight-schools that demonstrably and consistently provide their students high-quality ground and flight training. Thrust Flight is among only a few institutions in North Texas to receive Examining Authority.

In August 2022, the FAA granted Thrust Flight Examining Authority vis-à-vis the institution’s Commercial Pilot curriculum.

The U.S. remains in the midst of a nationwide shortage of Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE)—pilots authorized by the FAA to perform check-rides in the stead of FAA examiners. Of late, students are apt to wait in excess of one month to take their check-rides from an FAA designee examiner—a very long time for individuals attempting to maintain perishable flying skills and retain considerable volumes of fiddly and pedantic data. By doing away with unreasonable certification delays and considerable DPE—several hundred dollars in most instances—Examining Authority reduces student pre-test anxiety, improves check-ride performance, and allows monies otherwise allocated to examiner fees to be reinvested in flight-training.

Thrust Flight CEO Patrick Arnzen stated: “After considerable effort, our dedicated team has successfully accomplished this milestone, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that we are among the select few schools in the country to provide this opportunity to our students. We take pride in our achievement and look forward to offering this benefit to enhance the learning experience for our students.”

Flight schools permitted Examining authority are held by the FAA to rigorous standards of didactic and practical agency—standards maintained via continuous FAA oversight and auditing. Qualification for Examining Authority is predicated upon a flight-school’s students maintaining a ninety-percent first-time pass rate over a minimum ten consecutive students undergoing check-rides with Designated Pilot Examiners not in the school’s employ.

FMI: www.thrustflight.com